Graptemys pearlensis

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Graptemys pearlensis
Graptemys pearlensis.jpg

Graptemys pearlensis

Systematics
Order : Turtles (Testudinata)
Subordination : Halsberger tortoises (Cryptodira)
Family : New World pond turtles (Emydidae)
Subfamily : Deirochelyinae
Genre : Mute Tortoises ( Graptemys )
Type : Graptemys pearlensis
Scientific name
Graptemys pearlensis
Ennen , Lovich , Kreiser , Selman & Qualls , 2010

Graptemys pearlensis , also known as the Pearl River Map Turtle , is a species of the mute turtle genusthat belongs to the New World pond turtle family.

features

Outwardly, Graptemys pearlensis is very similar to the Pascagoula mute turtle ( Graptemys gibbonsi ), with which the species was regarded as conspecific until it was first described . Like these, it belongs to the group of mute turtles with a broad head, with the females having wider heads than the males. It has a towering, olive-brown back armor with a distinct keel, which is mostly black or dark brown in color, with the coloring being most pronounced on the thorn-like appendages. The marginal shields each have a single yellow stripe that is narrower than that of Graptemys gibbonsi . On the twelfth and last marginal shield, this strip is shorter and lies further away from the seam between the two twelfth marginal shields than on Graptemys gibbonsi . With a back armor length of up to 29.5 centimeters, the females are significantly larger than the males with a maximum armor length of around 12 centimeters. The plastron is flat. The head and legs are brown to olive with light yellow to yellowish-green stripes. On the head there is a large spot between the eyes, which is connected with two large spots behind the eyes and usually ends in a trident-like shape on the nose.

Occurrence

The species occurs in Mississippi and Louisiana in medium-sized streams of the Pearl River system, after which the species was named.

literature

  • Joshua R. Ennen, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Brian R. Kreiser, W. Selman, Carl P. Qualls: Genetic and Morphological Variation Between Populations of the Pascagoula Map Turtle (Graptemys gibbonsi) in the Pearl and Pascagoula Rivers with Description of a New Species . In: Chelonian Conservation and Biology . tape 9 , no. 1 , 2010, p. 98-113 (English).

Web links